The Delegated Decisions by Cabinet Member for Resources and Deputy Leader meeting on Wednesday 14 October 2026 approved the extension of Oxfordshire County Council's participation in the Thames Valley Fire Control Service (TVFCS) and the award of a new contract for the TVFCS Command and Control System.

Extension of the Inter Authority Agreement for TVFCS

The meeting agreed to extend Oxfordshire County Council's (OCC) participation in the Thames Valley Fire Control Service (TVFCS) as a joint working arrangement with Royal Berkshire Fire Authority and Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes Fire Authority. This extension will align the expiry of TVFCS with the initial term of the new command and control system contract, approximately seven years from its commencement. Authority was delegated to the Director of Community Safety, in consultation with the Monitoring Officer and the S151 Officer, to finalise the terms of the agreement for the extension and variation of the existing agreement, which governs the operation, management, governance, and funding of TVFCS.

The TVFCS was established in 2015 as a joint working arrangement between OCC, Royal Berkshire Fire Authority (RBFA), and Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes Fire Authority (BMKFA). It operates a shared emergency call handling and mobilisation function from a primary control room in Reading and a fall-back provision in Kidlington, Oxfordshire. The current agreement has an expiry date of 21 April 2030.

The extension is necessary to align with the new command and control system contract, which has an initial term of seven years and may be extended for a further three years. The proposed variations to the Steady State Legal Agreement include changes to how operational instructions are logged, representation on the Coordination Group, financial arrangements for quarterly payments and increased overspend approval limits, and a revised method for splitting the operational costs of the command and control system. Under the new arrangements, these operational costs will be split equally, with each Fire Authority meeting one-third of the cost, mirroring the capital cost-sharing model. It was also confirmed that the TVFCS Group Manager will be an employee of RBFA.

TVFCS Command and Control System

The meeting approved the award of a contract for the Thames Valley Fire Control Service (TVFCS) Command and Control System, which will replace the current system. This decision is subject to Royal Berkshire Fire Authority and Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes Fire Authority also making the same approvals. Authority was delegated to the Director of Community Safety, in consultation with the Monitoring Officer and the S151 Officer, to finalise the terms of the contract and execute it.

The procurement process, led by OCC on behalf of the Fire Authorities, was conducted as a Competitive Flexible Procedure under the Procurement Act 2023. The new system is intended to replace legacy technology that is approaching its end of life and will support emergency call handling, mobilisation, incident management, and operational control functions across the three Fire and Rescue Services. The contract has an initial term of seven years with an option to extend for a further three years.

The preferred bidder was selected based on their submitted responses and evaluation, which assessed them as the most advantageous tender. The new system is designed to enhance operational resilience, cyber security, and future compatibility with developments such as ESN/MCX and NG999. The implementation phase is expected to last approximately 17 months, with the operational services phase targeted to begin on 1 April 2028. The decision report noted that the preferred bidder's whole-life contract price is within the approved budget envelope, although further work will be undertaken to align cost profiling with the approved funding arrangements. The report also highlighted that the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) - TUPE regulations are not expected to apply to TVFCS staff.